Alabama

Sound Off: Birmingham News readers' opinions

Readers debate whether LSU's perfect regular season and win over Alabama should earn it the AP national title regardless of the outcome Jan. 9 (Mark Almond/The Birmingham News)

AP might not pick LSU

Jon Solomon's Monday column is a lie. LSU is not already half a national champion. The Associated Press national champion will be crowned after the game and the result will matter.

What Jon conveniently ignores in arguing for a split national championship even if LSU loses a competitive game to Alabama is that the AP poll has a tradition of rewarding recency. Alabama was rewarded in 1978 with the AP national championship because USC's loss was later in the season. Florida State was awarded the 1993 AP national championship because Notre Dame's loss was later. So, Jon, on behalf of Alabama people everywhere, there may be some AP voters who do reward recency. If Alabama wins Jan. 9, it will be LSU with the later loss.

And by the way, there is photographic evidence that the key interception call in the first Alabama-LSU game was blown by the official. Where has Jon been hiding that he would miss a picture of the Alabama player's shoulder on the ground with simultaneous possession?

Stephen Thompson,

Birmingham

LSU deserves a split

Jon Solomon, I just want to say "well done" in your Monday column advocating a split national championship for LSU if it loses to Alabama in a close game. I appreciate your efforts in making sense in a world of "over-the-top" sports fans. Your article was a breath of fresh air and spot on from my perspective.

Jeff O'Connell,

Providence, Utah

It's winner take all

Jon Solomon, I can only imagine how much flack you must be taking for that incredibly well-written column explaining why LSU would deserve the Associated Press national title even if it loses a close game to Alabama.

The facts are indeed as you stated in your "If every game counts" article. LSU and Alabama are the two best teams in the country by a long shot! And ever since the Tide put the finishing touches on Auburn in the annual Iron Bowl, all of the burden has been on the LSU Tigers to prove that they are in fact worthy of being No. 1. Thankfully, they have done just that.

I can assure you that while many Tigers fans will never admit this publicly, they are leery and possibly concerned about this upcoming rematch. Alabama will be highly motivated to wash away the bad taste of that close loss to the Tigers, and we all know the part that emotion plays in motivating these young players.

Even though I am an LSU Tigers fan, and even though I recognize the flaws in the BCS, this is the system we have. All the big BCS schools have accepted it as the means for determining the national champion. While it would be nice to be able to give each team a gold star as if they were in kindergarten, fans will have to accept that only one team will leave the Mercedes Benz Superdome with the crystal football. And that team should be declared the 2011 champion by everyone.

Bill Tuger,

Morgan City, La.

Don't knock OSU

Kevin Scarbinsky, how condescending toward Oklahoma State can you be? How can you compare them to a flag-football team just because they score touchdowns on a regular basis and they don't play in the "mighty" SEC? Don't forget that compared to Alabama, they have more wins against ranked teams (5-2), more wins against teams that are over .500 (7-3), and more conference championships (1-0).

I'll be the first to admit that Oklahoma State's loss was worse than Alabama's, but shouldn't the wins be factored in when considering there are 11 of them?

Oklahoma State might have made the BCS title game if people had looked at the numbers rather than the name on the uniform. Alabama should be thankful that they are in the game when they weren't even the best team in their division.

Alex Whitecotton,

Birmingham

OSU doesn't match up

If LSU played Oklahoma State, OSU would score maybe 10 and LSU would hang as many points as it wants to on the Cowboys.

That the OSU vs. Oklahoma score was so one-sided goes to show the high school-type programs they have in that conference.

What I'd really like to see is a playoff with LSU playing Stanford and Alabama playing OSU. The SEC teams would beat the pants off their opponents.

Jerred Cantrell,

Grant

Blame shameless media

When I first heard people's tragic deaths being used as a reason to explain away Oklahoma State's loss, I thought the same thing as Kevin Scarbinsky -- that it was highly inappropriate.

However, Kevin, it was your own kind, such as ESPN and other sports writers, who propagated this line of reasoning so the OSU loss to Iowa State wouldn't be held against them. It was "mediots" who were trying to keep OSU in the hunt for the title game, at the expense of the families of those who died. But you blamed the fans. Shame on you, Kevin.

Scott Graham,

Helena

Not sold on McGee

Regarding the hiring of Garrick McGee, UAB would have been as well off keeping Neil Callaway.

Bobby Petrino is the offensive mastermind at Arkansas, not McGee. McGee doesn't even call plays. Yes, he was a finalist for the Broyles Award, but anyone who had the title of offensive coordinator on the best offensive team in the best defensive conference in the country would have been on that list. And McGee's resume at Northwestern and for the Jacksonville Jaguars doesn't show proof he can do what was done at Arkansas anywhere else.

Maybe McGee can turn UAB football around, but I am not a buyer.

Chris Bailey,

Kimberly

Glad to have Pitt

In Tuesday's Hot Corner, Jon Solomon disparaged the matchup for the BBVA Compass Bowl, including saying that Birmingham doesn't want Pitt to be here. Does he speak for the BBVA Compass Bowl committee? Do the merchants in Birmingham not need the money?

Jefferson County is bankrupt, and the mayor of Birmingham spent $14,000 just to entertain his pals at Legion Field. Jon fits right in with the county commission and the mayor in their thinking.

I guess I need to tell my friends in Pennsylvania that they aren't welcomed here.

Charles Rogers,

Trussville

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